Smile: Ate whole rotisserie chicken

The 10 Worst Foods for Dogs

Update: Here’s a bigger list of what to avoid when making your own dog biscuits.

We knew about chocolate and steak fat but raisins and sugarless gum?

Attention all responsible dog owners, including owners of a particular kind of Labrador retriever: chocolate refers to a Lab’s coloring, and not what you should be feeding it. In fact, according to veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Coates, chocolate is one of the major no-nos in a canine’s diet.

“I think it’s common knowledge that chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is toxic to dogs,” says Dr. Coates. “It contains methylxanthines, which affect the GI and nervous system and the heart. If a good-sized dog chows down on only one piece, he likely will be just fine, maybe a bit hyper, but okay. Even so, it’s not a good idea to be feeding chocolate to your dogs.”

While chocolate and other favorite snacks are safe – and even nutritious – for humans, here are some surprisingly dangerous foods for dogs:

• Grapes and raisins. A great, nutritious snack for the kids, but they can cause kidney failure in dogs. Instead of tossing grapes to test a dog’s gobbling skills, try baby carrots.

• Sugar-free gum and candy. It may be okay for four out of five dentists, but five out of five vets say “no way.” So keep sugarless gum and candy containing xylitol in a safe place where your curious friend can’t sniff them out. This type of artificial sweetener can cause low blood sugar and liver failure in dogs.

• Avocados. While avocados are often recommended by pediatricians as a first fruit for babies for their nutrients and texture, dogs should not be underneath the highchair when an avocado is served. For dogs, avocados contain a toxic principle called persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Some vets also caution against avocados because of their fat content, leading to weight gain in dogs and the uphill battle to prevent pet obesity.

• Macadamia nuts. The toxic element for dogs in macadamia nuts has not been identified, but canines that eat large amounts can experience vomiting, lethargy, weakness and even hind-end paralysis.

• Onions and garlic. Bad breath aside, onions and garlic are bad for dogs in any form – raw, cooked, even in powdered forms. They contain sulfoxides, which can cause anemia and damage red blood cells if fed in large enough amounts.

• Fatty foods. If you haven’t gotten the memo, the days of feeding fatty table scraps – from steak, ham, chicken – are over. They can cause pancreatitis in dogs, leading to pain, nausea and diarrhea. It can even be fatal.

“Accidents happen, and should your dog eat something that it shouldn’t, don’t panic, but let your veterinarian know right away what was ingested and any symptoms you are noticing,” Dr. Coates says. “There are typically treatments that will help the situation – some which can be very expensive – but time is of the essence.”

This article was submitted by Jennifer Coates, DVM. I found it informative which is why I’m sharing. The article originally linked to a pet insurance company but I removed the links. No free advertising from Tucson Tails for pet insurance.

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Thanksgiving No No’s
Also I’d like to mention not to feed your dog turkey skin, roasted turkey bones, grease, gravy, mashed potatoes made with butter and gravy, stuffing (some have garlic, onions, raisins, and nuts). This food is very rich and usually salty. Also be sure to throw away any garbage or scraps in a stealth way so the dogs cannot get to them.

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Ate rotisserie chicken
A few years ago my greyhound Lily ate an entire rotisserie chicken — bones and all. I had rushed out of the house to go look for a lost dog and being preoccupied I left the chicken on the kitchen counter. I came home to nothing amiss and happened to walk into the office and there on the dog bed was the rotisserie chicken empty plastic container. I almost had a nervous breakdown. I called a vet and they said to bring her in and they would try to get her to vomit. This didn’t make sense to me as I thought vomiting up bones could be dangerous. I did some quick web searches and ran out to get a loaf of Wonder Bread which I gave to her with some olive oil to cushion the waste and let it exit smoothly from her body. Fortunately, for Lily (and me) she passed everything just fine. This should not be misconstrued as medical advice, just my own experience.